KatieBurkhartSoftball@gmail.com
Why be Good, when you can be Great?
Good Morning!! I know it's early, I love you all and wanted you to wake up to some stellar motivation.
This tripped me out because what this guy is doing in this video is UNREAL, but the message about fear is real. Enjoy it and I know it's an off week, but remain focused and concentrated on your goals. A week off is great, but the end goal is a championship so we have got to continue feeding our minds with greatness. Holla!
Today we are off to Gallatin to watch some local girls play ball. During this process of recruiting we as D1 college coaches are looking for these key attributes:
1. Great attitude
2. Athleticism
3. Dedication
4. Coachable
5. Leadership Skills
6. Analytical Skills
7. Mental Toughness
We know that not every kid is going to come out looking like Derek Jeter, however if we see she's capable of becoming that skilled with our coaching... Sign her up! A great attitude & athleticism goes a long way, so keep working hard & don't skimp on practicing.
Do you have what it takes to play D1 Softball?
Well, the day has finally arrived and the i's have been dotted & the t's crossed... I am officially the new Tennessee State University a
Yesterday I dotted the i's, crossed the t's on my contract at TSU. I will be the Assistant Coach at Tennessee State University, Lady Tigers Softball. It will be an exciting season along side Coach Opdenbrouw & Coach Danna, taking it to the next level in the OVC.
We will also be hosting Pitch Responsibly Camps at TSU, so be sure to email me or Coach O, with your contact information to get the scoop. The camps will offer pitching, catching, hitting, & fielding designated by our coaching staff and the Lady Tigers.
If anyone wants to be a part of our boosters program, a supporter, or donor please contact topdenbr@tnstate.edu for further information in how you can get involved in the Lady Tigers Softball program. Thank you to everyone and your support! We look forward to meeting you all and celebrating the legacy at TSU.
I received an email today from Mrs. Kathy Gage from the Brakettes, informing the Brakettes family, of a great loss to our softball community. Mrs. Bertha Petinak Ragan Tickey passed suddenly on April, 14, 2014.
Women such as this should be celebrated and commended for their tenacity & passion to play this sport before it was popularized by television. I want to celebrate the inspiration and pioneer that she was, and thank God for such amazing women that have paved this incredible path for me and the rest of you to be a part of. Without acknowledging the rich history of our past, we cannot understand & admire the future we will bear. The bio below was written by Vicki Worthley (http://brakettes.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2//NewsManager1/Bertha_Bio.pdf), enjoy & remember what an honor it is to play this great game of Softball :) God Bless the Tickey family & Thank you!
Born “Borica Petinak” in March 1923 in Orosi, California, Bertha was the fifth of seven children of Chetko and Andja Petinak who were Serbian immigrants from Bosnia, Hercegovina. Bertha lost her father when she was eleven and her mother when she was twelve and was raised by her older brothers and her godparents, Stana and Obreon Vuich. (Their daughter, Rose Ann Vuich, went on to become the first woman elected to the California State Senate in 1976.)
Bertha first played softball as shortstop on the Sultana girls travel ball team in 1937. She first pitched for the Alta Chevrolet team in Dinuba in 1938. The team traveled up and down California, often beating teams from larger cities. Elwood Case, the manager of the Orange Lionettes heard about Bertha in 1939 and convinced her to come to Southern California to pitch for his team, at the tender age of sixteen. The Lionettes won the SoCal fast pitch championships in 1940, 1946 and 1947. At the ASA National Tourney in 1949, Bertha was crowned “Miss Softball. That year she struck out 756 batters in 60 games and also racked up 120 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Lionettes went on the win the ASA Fasthpitch World Title in 1950, ‘51, ‘52, and 1955.In 1955 she threw 155 consecutive scoreless innings, a record that still stands today. In 1956, Bertha packed up and headed East to help William Simpson develop his Raybestos Brakettes into a world class team. While there, Bertha led the Brakettes to National Championships in 1958, ‘59, ‘60, ‘63, and 1966, ‘67 and ‘68. On August 15, 1962, she struck out baseball’s batting king, Ted Williams, twice, during a pre-game exhibition. She went on to pitch a shut out later in the evening for the Brakettes. In 1956 and ‘57, she worked for the fledging “Sports Illustrated” magazine, traveling around the U.S. with other top athletes promoting spectator sports as a national past time.
In 1963, Bertha married Ed Tickey, a former member of the Brooklyn Dodgers and catcher for the Raybestos Cardinals men’s softball team. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sponsored a worldwide tour of women’s softball in 1965, designed to promote the sport for inclusion into the Olympic Games; which became a reality in 1996. Bertha retired from competition in 1968, at age 46, after pitching her final game in the National Championship Tournament in front of her entire family. She struck out 20 of 21 batters in that regulation seven inning game, a record that still stands today.
Bertha pitched 757 career wins, with only 88 losses. She threw 42 perfect games and 162 no hitters. She was an 18 time All American, and eight time National Championship MVP. She owns eleven National Championship titles, four with Orange and seven with Raybestos. She threw a record three perfect games in national tourney play; one in 1950 (her first national title), another in 1954, and again in 1968 (her last title, and final game).
After retiring from softball, Bertha went on to a career with The Barnum Festivals in Stratford Connecticut, where she served as their executive director until her retirement in the early 1980's. She is a member of the ASA National Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Hall of Fame, The Orange County Hall of Fame, the Fresno Hall of Fame and the Central Valley Softball Hall of Fame. Dinuba High School named it’s Varsity Field in her honor on January 24, 2009. Bertha resides in Clovis, California.
Services for Bertha Ragan Tickey will be at Boice Funeral Home in Clovis, CA on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 2:00 P.M. The family has said that remembrances may be made to the Bertha Ragan Tickey Scholarship Fund , c/o Dinuba High School, 1327 E. El Monte Way, Dinuba, CA 93618
There is a tribute to Bertha Ragan Tickey on the Brakettes website.
On the homepage article, click the (more) button for photos and a link to a wonderful article. The article was written by Janice Ragan Nelson, Bertha's daughter for a magazine.
http://brakettes.com/news/?id=14916
Attached is a newsletter written by Stormy Irwin, Softball National News Past and Present, which she made a tribute to Bertha.
(REF: Kathy Gage & Vicki Worthley)
This is the looming question all parents have that confounds even the wisest. "How on earth do we even start the recruiting process so my daughter gets seen?!"... Especially if you are in rural parts of the country, yet are a true diamond in the rough. GREAT QUESTION!
Not to throw any of you coaches under the bus, but my H.S coach was in fact the first person to send out letters getting colleges excited about me, my freshman year on Varsity. Then helped my mom with the next steps as far as the NCAA clearinghouse, SAT's, & getting letters of intent & my skill set video sent out.
So my honest advice to all parents is don't wait till your kid is in her late years of H.S, it should be as early as 7th grade and at latest freshman year. "Well, isn't that too early?"No, because there are many eligibility rules & budgets you may have to start thinking about to see if this is an option. I know mom & dad it is really hard to imagine your 7th grader as a grown college kid, but I'm telling you it is going to help her tremendously to start getting all the eggs in the basket for her future.
Here are some suggestions:
1. If your daughter has the potential and wants to play D1 most top D1 coaches are looking at your kid as early as 8th grade. if she's a standout & playing on a team that plays in the big tournaments on the premier fields, key word premier fields. (not the field 10 miles away and games at 7 & 8 am/pm).
2. What Gold team do you play for? And I'm not talking just any Gold team, but one with a suitable reputation and those that know this process are going to be an asset. It doesn't hurt either if your coaches know the college coaches. (i.e I played for the American Pastime Gold drove 4.5 hours for practices, we had another kid that flew in from Texas, it really depends on how bad your daughter wants it, how much time you're willing to put in, and budgeting for these expenses)
3. Politics... Yes. The P word. It's in all sports and as much as no one wants to admit this, it's true. So don't get wrapped up in, but work smarter not harder. Be aware, but don't share.
4. LETTERS & SKILL VIDEO... (template coming soon & more info)
-LETTERS: make sure you are sending them your schedule, what positions your play, what field/times, and what team you're playing.
5. Have your daughter write out her "values" aka "mission statement" in what she believes & wants in a school regarding education, softball, division, location, close to family or far (this is huge when you want to come home during short weekends & on holidays), classroom size, scholarship (whether it be education or sport), and the coaches. Don't get sold on "the grass is greener." Do your research!
6. Don't get hung up on "No" or "We already filled that recruiting class." If that's your dream then live it, but you can only be led to the water, but you can't be forced to drink. Find out what you have to do next in order to be a part of that team (coaches love passion driven kids, check out other schools, take a year of community college, or go try-out as a walk on.)
7. Community College as an option until you figure out where you want to go, raise enough money, and or gain more skill set. If you've waited & are a little late on this process find out from the coaches what you need to do to earn your spot & what year. Then prove it!! (kickstarter.com, indieagogo.com, and research other scholarship options)-Remember this is your dream!
What Coaches look for?
-Coachability
-Attitude
-Work Ethic
-Fitness Level
-Grades/SAT Scores
-Leadership Skills
-Can you play multiple positions?
-How you can help make them a better program?
Today I arrived in Portland, ME ready for my solid week of teaching and meeting many talented young ladies! After, being under the weather this past week, I am feeling spry and ready to get that fresh, crisp Maine air.
I hope to share many memories & hopefully introduce some new information as well powerful techniques, mental toughness, and my everlasting passion for the sport. Since, I was 10 I've been playing this great game, and now I get to coach the way I've always wanted to. It is a blessing to be able to share my wealth of memories & help encourage these young ladies to keep at it! Hard work & dedication does pay off, and rebuking any negativity that passes by.
Nothing will beat the clinic I went to with Lisa Fernandez as the host. This was right before the 1996 Olympics in Lake Elsinore, CA (where I lived till I was 13). Fernandez was & still is in my opinion one of the greatest pitchers to play the game, not because she's a 2-time Gold Medalist, but because of her fierce attitude on the mound & her grueling work ethic. She wasn't kidding when she signed my ball "Never be Satisfied," and to me that left a lasting impression. One I never forgot and had a tendency to mimic her workouts, pitching for 3 even 4 hours till I got a pitch.
Today everyone is familiar with Jennie Finch, and don't get me wrong she is a stud, but how about the other remarkable women that earned their names mentioned such as Joan Joyce, Michelle Smith, Michelle Granger, Kathy Arednsen, Barbara Reinalda, Lori Harrigan, Danielle Hendersen, and it goes EVEN FURTHER back than that!!! Just check out the http://www.brakettes.com/hall/ and you can see some of the greatest pitchers & players to have ever graced the field. Ladies & Gentleman did you not know that there was a Men's Fast-pitch League either? I'll stop there before I blow your minds too much, but I will come back to this in another blog post.
Without knowing the history of our sport it's hard to really understand what road has been paved us to even be able to play this game. It has humbled me and given me a much greater respect for those that have played before us and left such a legacy. Without them we wouldn't be where we are today, and I am proud to say I'm glad to have been a part of that journey.
So I can only hope I will bring passion & education that will ignite a fire in the hearts of those that love this game!
Keep Calm & Pitch On,
Katie Burkhart
Welcome to PITCH RESPONSIBLY where we look forward to cultivating "the art of the athlete." Every kid is one of a kind, and softball is a stepping stone in cultivating them as an athlete as well as a well oiled adult. Our mission in our instruction is to give a level of understanding of pitching, leadership, and mental toughness.
The beauty of PITCH RESPONSIBLY is we are bringing instructors to your home, without the hassle of tedious research, long flights, or drives. If you have space, high-speed internet, and a FaceTime compatible phone you can receive iLessons. Soon there will be a full package program where we will have a PR Program uniquely modified for each student-athlete.
...Softball is the stepping stone to their future as a leader, parent, and warrior in their community.